The Butler weekly times., 1887-05-04
NOT TO BE FOOLED.
Doctors Attempt to riaS J Ike on a
DRUGGIST Ends in q Ia-lure.

Druggist Ends in Failure.
II there ! anything tina, druggist
de>pl>e> above another it i the me ri,
system. When prescription flied ont
in the terms of this system is presented
the average pharmacist turns trea>on-
abb L. his profession and becomes MAJ
enough TO grind up n his pe>:le the
remains Of the physicians Of the city
who employ the ahomina-ci measure
ments. Many drueg SIS will not under
take 10 fill Il prescription in metric
weights; others first reduce the pre-
scriplion. with infinite toll. TO ,he
apo thccarN'S ordinary table. before
filling it. 1t was one of these latter that
has To do with this story.
The druggist in question TumkjnS is
as good 4 name rs any for Identification
had been playing practical Jokes on
well-known young physician, whose Of
fee adjoined his store. AMI the latter
plotted with acquaintances to sc;
even. The doctor wrote out in
the metric system a long and elab-
orate prescription the continuation of
whose elements was a chemical impoS-
sihility. He gave this to friend. and
to another conspirator he gaze n pre-
scription which would profu "a an odnr
viler than sulphuretted hydro zen. The
two prescriptions We're presented inn
mediately following each other. and
the doctor-who, of course. had not
signed his own name to them-hap-
pened to drop into the drug store at the
right time to see the fun. The dru~-
gist retired and laborcd manfully with
the first prescription for half-hour.
He called the doctor into his counsel,
and the two wrestlrd with the hero
@lvphic~ and sought solution in vain.
Then the druggist, all unsuspec' i'll :,
gave up the job. and, returning the
prescription to his customer, acknowl-
edged that he could not fill il.
Presently another prescription WAS
presented. and after an hour 5
effort the druggist emerged from
his retirement and said he be blanked
| if he'd convert his store into a Sellers
farm; that he could not fill the pre-.
scription and wouldn't if he could
From the suppressed merriment of tn,
doctor and of the man who prescnte
the prescription the druggist began t
suspect that he was being worked. '
But he kept his peace. and the n.
spirators concluded to get all tho fur
! possible out of it. On the next da'
they proposed to give the game away
and that there might be millions" il
it they invited the entire neighborhoo,
to see the sport. A prescription wa
duly presented. and the druggist tool
it cheerfully and began to compoun,
the drugs.
Doc said one of the boys who ha'
handed in the prescription. 'he's fill
ing it. H,dn't we better clear out.
II tell you he can't fill it. That pre-
scription can't be filled. and he vii
find it out presently. Keep cool.
But the drug man kept grndin
away rs if it were the simplest job h
had found in years. and present
came forward with u bottle filed wit
fluid and neatly wrapped.
1.-TWO dollars and sixty-fve cents
please he said unconccrnedly. Di'
| you observe that a drug bill is never 4
even amounD.
"What?'
That prescription called for rare
expensive drugs. and it would be at
loss to mys,lf if l should charge 70
less than two dollars and sixty-tiv
cents.
But l only have dollar an
eighty"
Sorry, but You can pay that and
will charge the rest on the books"
And it was even so. The man {
pills said afterward when the joke
had retired without divu'gin@ tn
''fun" that it was the most profitab'
aqua pura that he had ever sold
| T,l1inn1uOIiS Nfhrs